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Krysta Anderson, Gleaner Writer
Fashion may very well be one of the most powerful art forms in existence, and aspiring photographer Dayna-K Keane-Dawes knows all too well about that view. In her explorations of professional pursuits, she has decided to indulge in her passion by travelling down the route of fashion to capture priceless pieces of art.
The 24-year-old photographer shared with Flair her pictorial beginnings, confessing that the art form found her. "Growing up, I had a fleeting interest in several things - never really committed to any extra-curricular, or had a particular affinity for any subject. I had encountered many things I liked but never anything worth doing continuously," remarked Keane-Dawes.
After graduating from Immaculate Conception High in 2008, she migrated to Atlanta that same year, and attended high school again, "It was in those two years, which I like to think of as my own personal sixth form, that I discovered my love for photography. Or rather it discovered me." Her affinity for the arts developed from then on and she made the decision to pursue a career in that field.
Keane-Dawes admitted that she was never really good at traditional art, like the drawing and painting. She gravitated towards graphic arts before falling in love with photography, "My teacher would always let me do everything digitally because that's where I felt most comfortable." She continued, "When I started that photography class, everything came easily and felt natural. I had honestly never felt so at home with anything before. I had a little digital camera I used to run around with at Immaculate, but this was a whole new ball game. We spent most of the time doing film photography, learning the whole process from initially loading the film in the camera right down to the developing process. I ultimately preferred photography as it captures the essence of things that cannot be created by computer, and thus sparked the flame."
self-taught
Being self-taught, the transition from traditional film to digital, which she made on her own, was one which occurred due to the nature of the industry. "Cinematography is a lot more expensive, especially purchasing the equipment for the process. It was just easier to buy a digital camera."
She started out capturing nature and landscape, before graduating to the exciting world of fashion, "Nature and landscape are all about capturing what you see. With fashion, I get to put more into process. It gives a little more freedom as it relates to creativity."
With this personal pursuit came sacrifices, and these included family and school. She explained, "I forfeited my scholarship to attend college and study chemistry, because I realised my heart was in photography. My family was not pleased about my decision. We are currently no longer in dialogue, since they are not supportive of my dream." She has also had to sacrifice home, staying in Jamaica to do what she loves.
In the process of starting a portraits service, she will be offering family, maternity, newborn and self-portraits with the convenience of them being done in the comfort of your home or their desired space, rather than making the location confined to a studio. She has expressed interest in working with models, stating that, ideally, her dream job would be working for a prestigious magazine like Vogue.
She still has dreams of attending Savannah College for Arts and Design, but it is proving quite difficult due to financial constraints. She has been advised to pursue photography locally but refuses to compromise on the quality of her education, declaring that she doesn't see the point in attending a school that does not offer the required necessities.
Her advice to aspiring photographers, "Do your research first to get some idea of the process before buying a camera. Teach yourself about the industry first."
krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com